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- Created on Friday, 30 January 2015 09:27
A new website developed by the University of Nebraska in collaboration with the Nebraska State College System and Nebraska Community College Association provides students in the state with a convenient one-stop shop for researching course transferability between Nebraska's public higher education institutions.
Transfer Nebraska, which went live this week, aims to help Nebraska students better understand their options, plan for their future, and stay on the path to a college degree so they can be successful in the workforce. The sites searchable database offers information on 64,500 course equivalences among the four NU campuses, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, the three state colleges, and eight community and tribal colleges. Students looking to transfer to a Nebraska institution from some regional and private institutions can also find course equivalency information on the site.
Susan Fritz, University of Nebraska executive vice president and provost, said that Transfer Nebraska opens doors for students who want to blend their college education. Nebraska's public higher education institutions are committed to increasing access and affordability and informing students about their transfer opportunities in a consistent and collaborative way is one step toward that goal.
Nebraska's economic success depends on our ability to produce a highly skilled, highly educated workforce. The University of Nebraska, state colleges and community colleges all play a critical role in increasing educational attainment in our state, Fritz said. Transfer Nebraska is an important tool that will help students earn the degree that is right for them. We've moved from 16 different mechanisms for informing students about transfer options to a single system that gives current and consistent information. The university is proud to collaborate with our public higher education partners in bringing this resource to Nebraska students.
Fritz noted that given high mobility rates among college students today, there is a clear need for Nebraska's higher education institutions to work together to ensure students understand which courses may count toward a degree at a different school. About 5,000 students transfer into and between the states public higher education institutions each year. A quarter of first-time, full-time students who enrolled at UNL, UNO or UNK in fall 2007 had graduated from another institution or were still enrolled at another institution six years later.
Nationally, one-third of all U.S. college students switch institutions at least once before earning a degree, according to a 2012 report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
With access to clear information on transferability, students can plan more effectively, and have a smoother pathway if they decide a different institution might be a better fit, Fritz said. Adult students looking to return to school can also research how courses they took in the past may count toward a degree, and high school students who have earned college credit can explore where they can apply that credit. The inclusion of regional institutions in the sites database also could help Nebraska attract more students to the state.
Nebraska State College System Chancellor Stan Carpenter said: Chadron, Peru and Wayne State Colleges have long partnered with our postsecondary colleagues across Nebraska to serve students and their families. We are now equally committed to the successful launch of Transfer Nebraska, a web-based platform which has been designed to provide easy access to information regarding the transfer of credits between public institutions. Using Transfer Nebraska, students can learn what courses transfer to and from every Nebraska public institution. As the result of hard work and the commitment of numerous individuals at Nebraska's 16 public institutions, Transfer Nebraska is now live and ready to help students plan their futures, become successful in the workforce, and grow into productive and engaged citizens across Nebraska.
Dennis Baack, executive director of the Nebraska Community College Association, said: This Transfer Nebraska website will allow every student in Nebraska to have at their fingertips information about the transferability of their college work to make it easier for them to create a career path to their education goals. The community colleges would like to thank the University of Nebraska for their leadership on this very meaningful project.
Questions about admissions can be directed to the institutions admissions offices, which are listed on the Transfer Nebraska site, http://transfer.nebraska.edu.
Jan. 29, 2015
Contacts:
Melissa Lee, University of Nebraska
(402) 472-7127
(402) 580-3297 (cell)
Korinne Tande, Nebraska State College System
(402) 471-2505
Dennis Baack, Nebraska Community College Association
(402) 471-4685